A set of seven information technology principles to guide IT decisionmaking was among the first things the enterprise architecture councildeveloped. "It was the set of values on which we wanted to operatewith regards to technology within the firm," says Sheinheit. "Theyseemed like obvious ideals, but they weren't always followed. So wefelt it was important to communicate them, create an understanding ofwhat each one means, and explain the rationale for and implications ofeach principle."